大象传媒

This story has been written onto the 大象传媒 People鈥檚 War site by CSV Storygatherer Ian Hollins on behalf of Val Eaves. The story has been added to the site with her permission. And Val Eaves fully understands the terms and conditions of the site.

Born in August 1937 at Streatham, to Alice Armitage (nee Todd) of Kent and Gordon Armitage of Bolton, I was living in Rochester when the War broke out. From the September we moved to Blackpool, Bolton, when apparently my father went absent without leave, he said as he had a "poorly leg", which was the source of family fun taking, "Oh; my poor leg" with ensuing painful sounds! April 1941 saw us living in Exeter, with my mother, my aunt, her daughter, grandma and grandad Todd. By May 1942 we had two men billeted on us! One of these men had a gun which he gave to his friend to hide under his mattress! We were visited by the police as one of these men worked at the Rougemont Hotel and had been seen flashing a torch on the roof of the hotel at night. He was arrested and sent to the Isle of Man for the rest of the war. I don't know his name but the other one was called John Roberts and was the father of my cousin who was born later that year. In May 1942 we saw the blitz in Exeter, as we had to leave the city each night and go up to a farmer's field, where he had cleared all the cows so that we could use the barn. I can remember looking out over Exeter all alight and on the way from St. Annes Road to the farm we must have passed a public house where there were children crying, they must have lost their families. By June 1942 we had moved to Bolton to live with Grandma Armitage, who also had RAF men billeted on her. I can remember them playing a trick on me with the wireless. Every time I approached the wireless it went off, and when I went away it came one! My grandma was a very small, sharp lady but I do remember her making rhubarb pie with green rhubarb and it was always very sweet. It was only years later I discovered her secret, when put bicarb of soda in it. The only trouble is that takes away all the vitamins. I also remember we made sweets from the dried milk rations we had, they did taste very nice, especially as we were rationed. In July 1942 we moved to Chatham, where I started school. It was there that my cousin was born. I remember the day the nurse arrived with her black bag and was told the baby had come in it! All this travel involved us going by train and we became familiar with the stations. I remember one time my mother, myself, my auntie and her two children travelled from down south to Bolton and we had to change trains at Crewe, with all the baggage including a cot! We arrived in Manchester, again having to find transport to 80lton. My mother tried to get a taxi for us but he took her out on a run and returned to Manchester, whence we had to pack everything into his taxi and go on to 80lton. What a performance but we seemed to just accept it all. Christmas 1942 saw us back at Exeter and then April 1943 again to Bolton with my mother and auntie and entourage! It was at that time our mothers dressed themselves up as witches and frightened my cousin and I, so much that we packed our bags and went down the road and knocked on the door of a lady asking her to take us in. She must have been very understanding as she told us to come back later, which of course we didn't do. By November 1944 we had arrived in Dawlish and lived in a fisherman's cottage along the seafront, Marine Parade. The night we arrived in Dawlish it was pitch black and the sea was splashing over the station. We walked along the front and eventually arrived at a passage way with a plank with water either side. We went over this and arrived at the cottage. Next morning we could see why we had to walk the plank, the sea front flooded badly in those days. The cottage was a two up and two down, gas lights downstairs, candles and buckets to collect the water upstairs. It was let by Mr.Tapper with whom my mother had had contact sometime previously. Accommodation was hard to come by and I cannot even now understand how my mother and I my auntie and her two daughters and my grandad and grandma were all able to sleep there! We also had an outside toilet, full of spiders and each week had a bath in front of the fire, tipping the water away outside the front door. We had a lovely time by the sea, even though restricted access because of the defences, and no access to Leamount. VE Day was celebrated at Mr. Doubleday's garden; thankfully I have a photo of this celebration.The reason for so much travel was trying to escape the war and finding somewhere suitable for us all to live. One of the times we travelled from the north to the south was being pulled into Bristol tunnel with firing on either side. I also remember travelling from Bolton and arriving at Crewe, with my mother. As there were no refreshments on the train when we arrived everyone ran off the train at Crewe to the Buffet restaurant for a cup of tea. She obtained two cups of tea, but suddenly the whistle went, and she raced down the station, being pulled on to the train my servicemen. As the compartments were closed off she had to wait until Bristol to catch up with me! What a wonderful time we had and how wonderful were the days of steam.

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